Car-coupling.



P. BROWN? I 01m COUPLING. V APPLIOATIOH FILED OUT. 27, 1903.

Patented Sept 15; 1908. i

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' Witnesses Patented Sapt.15,1 908.

P BROWN CAB COUPLING. APPLIOATIOH FILED 001.21, 190:.

wi'brmu 1 r P. BROWN.

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A v G N M I u I P n u. a 7 I 7 P. BROWN. 0A3 comma.

LPPLIOATIOK FILED DOT. 27, 1903.

Pa'pented Sept. 15, 1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

- 9X blesses Fig. 4 represents, in perspective, the locking zen of the United Statesof America, and resi- X v V l To all'h/jhom it may concern: l

l Be 1 ,known that I, PERRY BROWN, 21. citrdent of Wilmington, in the county of Newcastle, infthe State of Delaware, have in vented certain new and useful lm )rovements in CarCoupl crs, of which the fol specificationhh Tl 's invention relates'to an improvement in that class ofl oar couplers known as twin jaw couplers and the principal object of my invention is to provide a coupler of that class in which thelocking pin is vertically operated and is moved from its under side.

Another object is to provide a coupler of this form 'in which the upper part of\the locking pin is entirely inclosed within: a housing so that itis free from accumulation of dirt, ice or any other obstruction.

\Vith these principal objects in view, my invention consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and then definitely claimed.-

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this application: Figure 1 represents a side elevation, with most of the parts in vertical section, of a coupler made in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention, the section, so far as the device for operating the locking )in is concerned, being taken through the line a-a of Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same with the coupling head in section; Fig. 3 is a detail, in section, of the rock shaft and connected parts for operating the locking pin;

pin, detached; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the )ivoted dog or lock-set for holding the loclcing pin in its unlocked position; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of my coupler, with most of the parts in vertical section; Fig. 7 is a-similar view of the same with the locking pin in the o osite position from that shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the locking pin, detached; Fig. 9 is a )erspective view of the pivoted dog or lock-set, also detached.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by numerals, and especially to Figs. 1 to 5, the numeral 1 designates a coupling head which may be of any desired construction and which is provided with the usual or any desired form of knuckle 2 which is pivoted CAR-COUPLING.

. I Specification'of Letters Patent.

lowing is a Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

Application filed. October 27, 1903. Serial No. 178,726.

with a tail 4 which swings within the inin use. This knuckle is of course provided terior of the coupling head and is locked therein by a pin 11. The only novel tea tures about these parts is the wearing-plate 5 oi the coupling knuckle 3 which is formed of chilled or hardened metal so as to best I withstand the wear and has two lugs 6 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 (and also in full lines in Fig. 6') which project into recesses formed in the recessed face of the knuckle; the lugs 6 coacting with the upper part 7 and the lower )art 8 of the interior of the knuckle, so that t e wearing plate is absolutely prevented from having any vertical movement. Rivets or other means 9 are provided by which the wearing-plate is secured in its recess in the face of the knuckle. (See also Figs. 6 and 7 for sectional views of this wear ing-plate and its lugs.) Near the center of the coupler is formed a vertical recess or passage 10 for the locking in 11, which recess and pin are preferably torined rectangular in shape, and in the form shown in Fig. 1 the vertical recess is formed of a housing 12 which is closed at its top and open at its bottom, and also has an open space 13 at its central portion through which passes the tail 4 of the knuckle 2 as said tail is swung open or closed. This OPGHIDO' 13 is also in communication with the opening 14 a dog or lock-set 16, pivoted in the shank, to swing through the opening 13 as will be explained. The shank of the con )ler is also provided with one novel feature: a racket or stop 15 which is cast integral with the shank 15 so that it projects into the path of the end sill shown in Fig. 1. This is for the urpose of preventing injury to the springs pacity.

culiar shape sdiown in Fig. 4, and is provi with a central opening 20 in its up )er end in which is situated one end of a coiled spring 21, thcother end of which spring bears on the under surface "or the top of the housing 12 so as to normally keep the pin in its lowermost position, to which.it would naturally fall by gravity, but which mighttend to creep upward were it not for the action of the spring. T he locking pin 11 is also formed with a dee recess 24 through which, when to swing on the pin 3 as in many forms now in the shank 15 or the coupler so as to permit when they have been drawn to their full ca The loekin pin 11 is preferably of the (peg I the pin 11 is held in its elevated position, the

J ri

tail 4 of the knuckle 2 may pass in opening bottom of the shank.

and closing, as said recess'is directly in the path of said tail 4 when the pin 15 elevated. 1 order to hold said pm elevated when desired, I employ the hercinbefore mentioned dog or lock-set 16, which ispreierabl formed in its center, it will be seen that the upper part, which has to withstand the load, is a solid rectangular block except for the 0 )ening 20. Therefore this pin is lightest where no strength is needed, and is of enormous resisting ower where the maximum amount of strengt- 1 is needed.

-It mil be obvious that any means may be 'used to give the coupling pin 11 a vertical.

movement to unlock the coupler when this action is necessary, but I prefer the novel arrangement shown in my drawings, and which comprises a rockhait which is journaled in'a bearing 36 formed integral with the coupling head. One end ofthis rock-shaft is formed with a crank arm 37, the end of "which' is bent to form a wrist pin 38' which p ejects intoa groove or channel 39 formed 1n the lower end of the locking pin 11, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. It follows from this thatwhen the rock-shatt- 35 is rocked in one direction, the crank arm 37 is swung so as to move the wrist pin 38 on an arc of which the axis of the rock-shaft 35 is the center, and this movement of the wrist )in will cause the pin to be projected upwardly in its housing 12, as will be evident from an inspection of my drawin s. In order to prevent the locking in 11 i rom dropping too far, the end of the searing 36 is provided with a projecting portion 40 against which the crank arm 37 abuts when the locking pin is at its extreme lower position. The opposite end of the rookshaft 35 is provided with a preferabl Y rectangular end 41 and to this end 15 secured, by means of a pin 42 or otherwise, a sleeve 43 in the end of which is an opening 44 through which projects a bent arm 45 of an operating shaft 46 whose other and r'ree end is -formed *with a handle 47 by which the whole mechanism may be operated. It-wiil be manifest that any movement given bv an operator or attendant to the crank handle 17 will be imparted to the sleeve and from it to the rockshaft 35 f1 om which it is transmitted to the locking pin to raise or lower the same when necessary. In orderthat this operating mechanism may be held in the normal position uncouple shown in Fig. 1 with the locking pin in its locked position, I employ a coilet spring 50, one end of wluch its 111 a recess in the sleeve I 43 and the other in the bearing 36, as clearly.

seen in Fig. 3.

most in ly described in giving the detailed description of its various parts; yet it may be well to state that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, and it. is desired to all that it is necessary for the attendant to do is'to grasp and turn the ban die 47, which of course rocks the rock-shaft 35,'and swings the crank arm 37 so that its wrist pin 38 also swings and elevates the pilu against the tension of the spring 21. The

knuckle may now be withdrawn, and as its tail 4 swings past the dog or lock-set 16, the

. upper end of the latter drops into the recess 30 and thus holds the locking pm elevated.-

lVhen the cars are to be coupled, the pin of course being held up by its dog or lock-set 16, the tail of the knuckle )asses through the large opening 24 of the ocking pin and in passing through it, said tail swings against the dog or lock-set and pushes it back to the osition shown in Fig. 1; at this point the ocking pin will drop until it rests upon the tail of the knuckle, and further movement of the knuckle will swing its tail completely within the coupling head to th e;;position shown iii F ig. 1, when the locking in may drop into the locking position. it becomes necessary when the pin is held elevated by the lock-set 16, to permit the locking pin to drop, it is only necessary to move the projecting end of the dog or lock-set- 15 so as to move its upper end out of its recess, when said locking pin will fall into its locking osition. In order to hold the locking pin on the half-lock, I form atrccess 24 in which the tail of the knuckle can it so as to permit the pin to rest on it. It will also be Observed that when the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1, not only does the spring 21 tend to force the locking pin down, but the weight of said pin and also of the long crank handle 47 has a similar tendency.

In the forms shown in Figs. 6, 7, S and 9, I construct the parts so that the vertically moving pin locks the knuckle in osition when said )in is elevated instead of w ien'itis lowered. 11 these said figures, 50 designates the locking pin which is preferably of the form shown in Fig. 8, and has a groove or channel 51 into which the wrist pin 52 works; this wrist pin formed on a crank-arm projecting from a rocking shaft, which may be identical with that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. As before stated, in this form the locking pin locks the tail of the knuckle in position when it is elevated as shown in Fig. 7, and when the rock-shaft and its parts are moved to lower the locking 1111 50, the knuckle may be moved as said lol ting pm is then below the 70 The operation of my coupler has been al-- 1 level of the'tailoi the knuckle, as shown in Fig. 6. In this form, lock-set 54 is so shaped that its operative point 55 drops over the locking pin, when thelatter is completely lowered, and holds the same down. When the knuckle" is thrown out into its closed position he;agi coupling, its tail swings overthe top of the locking pinimd in the act of passing the pin. said tail swings against the dog or lock-set 5-1 and pushes it to the rear, and the locking-pin then is raised by the spring'acting on the IT -k-:hait 56 until the locking )in rests against the tail of the knuckle, as shown in Fig. 5. The further inward movement of the tail of the knuckle causes it to swing past the locking pin, when thellatt er is elevated to the position shown in- Fig. 7 and locks the knuckle in its coupled position;

I wish to call particular attention to the manner in which my locking pin works and is situated: Of course I do not intend to claim broadly a vertically operating pin, for these are old and are, in fact, shown some of my prior atcnts; but I believe I am the first to provii e a vertically operating pin of the character shown in my drawin where the in works in a housing which prbtects the pin rom material falling over or into the coupler. In view of this, I do not wish to limit my claims to what is shown in my drawings, as I am merely showing what I now consider is the preferable embodiment of my cou ler, but refer to the appended claims in which the scope of my invention is clearly defined. \Vhat I claim as new is: t 1. In a car coupler and in combination with the swinging knuckle thereof, a vertical recess or opening having its upper end closed, a'vertically operating locking pin working in said vertical recess or opening. said pin snugly fitting said recess or opening and aaving no horizontal movement therein. the walls of said vertical recess or opening extending above and below the center of said pin whereby the latter has a bearing on each side of the knuckle, the aforesaid vertical operating pin having an opening or groove in its lower end, a transverse bearing on the coupler, a rock shaft transversely supported in said bearing,

and anarm )rojecting from said rock shattco-acting wit 1 the grooved lower end of said locking pin, substantially as described.

2. In a car coupler and in combination with the swinging knuckle t. erect, a vertical recess or opening having its upper end closed, a vertically operating locking pin working in said vertical recess or opening, said pin snugly fittillg sa d recess or opening and having no horizontal movement therein, the walls of said vertical recess or opening extending above and below the center of said pin whereby the. latter has a bearing on each side of the knuckle, the aforesaid vertical operating pm having an opening or groove 1]].

its lower cnd.'-a transverse bearing on, the coupler. a rock shaft transversely supported in said bearing, and a crank or lever connected with the other end of the said rock shaft, substantially as described.

3. In a coupler and in combination with the swinging knuckle and its tail, a housing having a vertical opening therein, a vertically 7 operating pin contained w thin said housing,

said housing having an opening near its front through which passes the tail of the knuckle and an opening at the rear, and a lock-set projecting through said opening at the rear of the housing, substantially as described.

4. In a coupler, alocking pin and means for operating said locking pin from its lower end, said means comprising a IOCli-Sllttfll, an arm projecting from said shaft and co-acting with said locking pin and a spring arranged to hold said parts in looking position, substantially as described.

5. In a coupler, the combination with a locking pin, of a rock-shaft suitably sup )orted, an arm at one end of said rock-shaft laving operative connection with said locking pin and an operating handle or lever connected with the other end of said rock-shaft, and

a spring for holding said parts so that the locking pin is in its locked position, substantially as described.

{5. In a coupler, the combination with a vertically moving locking pin, a rock-shaft suitably supported and provided with an arm co-acting with the lower end of said vertically operating locking pin and a handle or lever connected with the other end of said rockshaft, and a spring for holding said rockshaft in position, substantially as described.

7. In a coupler, a locking head having a vertical recess therein, a vertically operating locking pin located within said recess, said recess having an opening in its front through which swings the tail of the knuckle and an opening in its back, and a loc '-set )rojccting through, the opening in the back 0 the housing and holding the pin in an unlocked posi tion, substantially as described.

8. In a coupler and in combination with the knuckle thereof, a vertical recess or opening having its upper end closed, a vertically operating locking pin working in said recess and having a groove or reces in its lower end, and means co acting with said grooved lower end for operating said pin, substantially as described.

9. In a coupler and in combination with the knuckle thereof, a locking pin having an opening or groove in its lower end, and a rockshaft having an arm co-acting with said grooved lower end for operating said locking pin, substantiallv as described.

10. In a coupler and in combination with the swinging knuckle thereof, a vertical recess or opening, and a vertically operating locking pin working in said recess or opening, said pm 

